August 11: Feast Day of St. Clare of Assisi

Clare of Assisi

Clare of Assisi was an early follower of St. Francis. God was calling her to follow Him and Francis showed her the way how.

Born into Umbrian nobility on July 16, 1194 in the town of Assisi, Clare was expected by her parents to marry a man of a social rank similar to her own. Clare, however, had a different idea. She wanted to live life as a religious; in 1212 she ran away and entered that type of life in the presence of St. Francis.

She spent her first years as a religious with the Benedictine nuns and a group of female penitents.  Later on, joined by her sister Agnes, Clare settled in the Church of San Damiano (near Assisi) where the two women began leading a life of simplicity. Soon other women joined Clare and Agnes in this life and a new community of "Poor Ladies" began to form.

Assisi

The Poor Ladies lived a monastic life of prayer and manual labor. San Damiano continued to be their main home and St. Francis their leader until 1216 when Clare of Assisi became the community's abbess.

As abbess Clare of Assisi fought to protect her sisters' way of life. She wanted to remain Franciscan in spirit and not Benedictine. Her devotion to St. Francis as her spiritual guide was strong. During the man's final illness, Clare was at his side taking care of him until he died in 1226.

Church of San Damiano

Throughout her life as abbess, Clare worked very hard to keep her Order thriving. She contacted other abbesses throughout Europe and stood up to several popes who wanted to wither down the Poor Ladies' commitment to total poverty. Only on August 9, 1253 - just two days before her death - did Pope Innocent IV proclaim Clare's Rule (on complete poverty) as law for her Poor Ladies (called the Order of St. Clare since 1263).

St. Clare was very devoted to St. Francis

Just two years after her death, Pope Alexander IV canonized Clare of Assisi. Her remains are interred at Assisi's Basilica of Saint Clare.